An Amusing Encounter

YFWE

The warehouse had stood vacant for decades, a grim reminder of the consequences of arson. In happier and more prosperous times, it had been used to manufacture ocean liner parts—that is, until a disgruntled and recently-fired employee decided that if he could not work there, no one else could, and set ablaze the inside of the warehouse. No one perished in the fire, mind you, but enough internal damage was done that the company who had laid claim to the warehouse decided to relocate across New York City to a building much closer to the pier. (They had been planning to do this in a few years' time anyway.) Thus, the place was vacated—and, as no one seemed to want to pay for the extensive damage inside, the property changed hands countless times through the years, although the current owners, under the name Geri, had possessed it for ten years. And, for some reason, the owners would never do anything obvious with the property—not even bulldoze it, as most figured they would. It merely stood isolated, contained by an immense chain fence—alone, as all of the buildings that had once surrounded it had since disappeared with the times.

Knowing this, the fact that they had been called to this place both fascinated and bemused Kim Possible and her partner and boyfriend, Ron Stoppable. It had been a relatively surprising call, this one—Kim and Ron had actually been on vacation in New York with Kim's family, and were under the impression that their vacation would be uninterrupted by certain distractions. According to Wade, there was some sort of evil geniuses and mad scientists and a combination thereof summit happening that week, and thus none of the villains the duo usually faced would be around to oppose them. (Although the existence of this meeting would need to be addressed when they returned.)

So, did they think it strange to be getting a call early one Saturday morning from Wade? Yes, quite.

"Sorry to bother you guys," Wade had started, "but seeing that you guys are in New York right now, I figured that you might be able to do me a little favor… it is in your best interest, I may add."

Kim sighed as she rolled onto her stomach. She had just awakened—Ron, who was in the bed across the room from her, was still soundly asleep. (It was a wonder to Kim that her parents had even let Ron share a room with her in the hotel… although still they had to keep the door to the adjoining room in which her family resided open at all times.) "My best interest? Wade, my best interest is more sleep… Ron and I are headed to Liberty Island this afternoon..."

"Right, Kim, afternoon. I know that. But what of this morning?"

"I've told you already, Wade…"

Wade appeared visibly frustrated. "Kim, I'm worried that it's one of those 'take over the world' plots again."

"Then who is this guy and why isn't he at this summit you mentioned earlier? If this guy is any threat at all, why isn't he there?"

"First, KP, I'm not so sure that this 'threat' is a 'he.' Might be, might not be. Second, villains have to start somewhere. Maybe this person is trying to make a name for him/herself while the other villains are gone…"

Kim sighed again. She stared over at the digital clock, which at that point read 9:30. They had planned on venturing to Liberty Island at around 1, and after a few minutes of talking she was now pretty much wide awake and would thus find it rather difficult to fall back asleep. "Fine, Wade," she said, admitting defeat. "I still don't understand how you found out about this…"

"Uh… strangely enough, I got this anonymous email last night. It was addressed to you, actually… said something about you meeting this guy in a warehouse in New York City. Didn't say why, just that it was urgent."

"Wow, that's totally not suspicious. Especially if it's really a guy."

"My thoughts exactly… which is why you should probably bring Ron."

Kim glanced over at her unconscious boyfriend. "Well, in that case, I might need an extra thirty minutes to wake him up. He was up late watching Surf's Up on the hotel's pay-per-view."

"Oh, the one with Shia LaBeouf?"

"Yeah, why?"

"So how was it? I saw it was on sale for like $15 at Wal-Mart yesterday… I just might have to go and get it."

"It wasn't bad, I guess…"

"Was it really realistic?"

"Realis- Wade, it's about surfing penguins. I'm not seeing the realistic nature here…"

"Oh, why don't you get in touch with your inner child every once in a while…"

"Just tell me how to get there, Wade."

And so, Kim and Ron were off on their way a good while later, Kim having quickly explained to Ron their situation. They set off on foot (the warehouse was within walking distance, about twenty minutes from their hotel), still knowing not what to truly expect—only that, for their sake, they would need to make it quick.

(end)

At this same moment, visibly there was a red blur soaring in and out of the towering skyscrapers of New York City, noticeably in the very direction that Kim and Ron were headed.

And this 'red blur' was not happy.

Jake Long never liked being called to dragon duty. Hated it, in fact, as of late, what with his show being cancelled. (Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am gonna go there.) In fact, when it was cancelled, Jake was consumed by a deep depression.

That's another story, though.

Despite, however, the canceling of the show, this did not change the fact that Jake still had to perform his duties as the American Dragon. Nowadays, it all just seemed in vain, for nothing. Showbiz changes everything. Remember that.

There came a voice slicing into Jake's subconscious as he flew past the Empire State Building. "Jake, frankly, your flight pattern is confusing me. Google Maps said we were supposed to head west back there…"

"What? Who's there?"

"Uh… it's Spud, Jake." It was Spud, along with Trixie. They were sitting on his back, holding on for dear life.

"Oh? Uh… where did you come from?"

"We've been here literally the whole time," replied Trixie. "We came as reinforcements for this meeting thing at the warehouse, remember?"

Light bulb.

"Sorry, guys, I forgot. Just kinda have my mind caught up in stuff lately, y'know?"

"It's alright," Spud said. "Still, though, I'd advise you to turn left now, unless you're planning on taking an all-expenses-paid trip to New Jersey."

Jake decided against this. Turning slightly, as to avoid having Trixie and Spud fall off, he was soon at a straight line from this warehouse that he had been called to.

He remembered the call so clearly…

"This is Jake Long, yes?" barked the voice, a deep, decidedly-male voice, on the other line of Jake's cell-phone.

"Um… yeah, it is. Who is this and how did you get my number?" Jake said groggily, having just awakened from watching Surf's Up on pay-per-view the night before.

"It matters not, my identity and the means by which I obtained your number. What matters is this—you are the American Dragon, correct?"

"Why… yeah…"

"Good, then. Your services are required. Kindly proceed to the following address as soon as possible. The address is 123 YFWE's Grotto Rd... it is a large warehouse. I pray you, come alone."

"You know my show got canceled, right? You'd be better off getting someone like, I dunno… Kim Possible? Her show hasn't been canceled yet…"

The voice on the other line laughed heartily. "You know so little, American Dragon."

"Apparently. Any other brilliant deductions you'd like to make?"

"All in good time, believe me. So, I take it you are coming?"

"As long as we're back before Dr. Phil comes on. My TiVo's broken, so I can't record it right now… long story."

The voice again laughed—although this time a bit sinisterly. "Ah, worry not. It shall not take long."

And thus the call ended, provoking Jake to call Spud and Trixie moments later. He knew that the voice had said to come alone, however, he also knew that most villains said this and no one bothered to heed them anyway. Plus, Spud owed him ten dollars.

The warehouse was in immediate view now. Jake began to slowly make his descent to the building, proceeding with caution and taking in the surroundings of the warehouse. It was a large building, a gray one, surrounded by a towering chain-link fence. For a brief moment, Jake actually thought he saw two figures, a red-haired one and a blond-haired one close behind, disappearing around the corner of one building. He also could've been hallucinating, though. Drinking expired Mountain Dew can do that to you.

"Guys, we're almost here. Get ready to get off," announced Jake.

"Duh, Jake. We're seeing the same thing you are."

Jake flew over the chain fence and touched down onto the pavement ground. Trixie and Spud leapt off his back and he reverted back to his human form. "So… now what?" asked Spud, staring around.

"Well… we try to find a way in, I guess," replied Jake. "I just don't know where it might be…"

"Hey guys, I think I might've found something!" It was Trixie's voice. She was pointing at something around the corner. Jake and Spud rushed over to where she was standing.

What they beheld was a plethora of blinking lights, all part of a neon sign. The sign read 'Enter Here.' There was a large metallic door placed under it.

"I don't see it," Spud said, his eyes squinted.

(end)

It would be rather pointless to say that the first thing Kim and Ron noticed when they entered the warehouse was that it was pitch-black inside. This is because nothing else could be seen anyway due to the lack of light, of course. In fact, it should be noted that, once they shut the door behind them, the duo could no longer even see each other.

"Uh… Kim?" asked Ron, his voice wavering. "You sure we're at the right place? Because I would think that they would leave the light on for you if they knew you were coming. Motel 6 would be ashamed with this place…"

"Well, Wade's never led us astray before…," Kim said thoughtfully. "And this is the only warehouse in the area. This has to be it."

"Maybe they wanted to surprise us, then…"

At these words, the door behind them burst open, and radiant rays of sunlight came streaming inside. Three figures then shuffled inside.

"Oh, WOW! What an entrance! You guys really surprised me," exclaimed Ron. "Thanks, you totally made my day."

"Surprise? What surprise?" said a female voice. The door closed and it was pitch-black once more.

"Right. Still playing along. I like it. So now that you guys are here, could you please turn on the lights?" Ron continued. "If you actually want to meet with KP, it'd probably be best if you could see her…"

"KP?" spoke a somewhat-high-pitched male voice. "Isn't KP the guy who called me on my cell phone? Definitely wasn't a 'she'…"

"Wait," Kim said suddenly. "Jake… Jake Long… is that you?"

"Kim?"

"Okay, can someone PLEASE tell me what's going on?" yelled Spud. At this, everyone was quiet for a few moments, surprised at his sudden outburst. "Well?"

"Spud, it's Kim Possible… and I'm guessing Ron as well. You know, from the TV show?" explained Jake.

"Oh!! You mean, the ones from the Disney staff Christmas Party when we took the pumpkins and the basketball outside and…"

"Yeah, that's us," said Ron. "So what're you guys doing here?"

"This guy called me here… said he wanted to meet with me. Also said it was urgent," Jake said. "What about you?"

"Wade got an email this morning about someone wanting a meeting with me here, too!" replied Kim.

"Well, so we're obviously all here for the same thing, then," Trixie chimed in. "Now, if only we could do something about the whole 'no lights' thing…"

As if on cue, there was a blinding flash as dozens of lights illuminated the ceiling of the warehouse. "Now, that's more like it," said Ron. "Much more Motel 6-ish."

With the warehouse's interior now being lit, the group could finally see their surroundings—which, truth be told, was not much. In fact, not much at all—there was nothing else in the warehouse but the lights, a hard cemented floor, and towering white-plastered walls.

Oh, and did I mention the man standing idly in the far corner of the room?

I have now.

"Whoa! Who's that?!" Spud exclaimed, pointed a shaking finger at the man, who donned a proper black suit and was smiling—warmly, yet sinisterly.

"Are you the man who called me earlier?" question Jake.

"And the one that emailed me?" Kim added.

The man said nothing. Instead, he began to walk towards the group, slowly at first, but then at a quicker rate.

"Is no one else getting the sudden urge to leave this place, run away, and never come back?" Ron asked, and to which Spud answered, "I'm with you, dude."

"Wait! I know you!" said Trixie suddenly. "You're…"

The man had reached them. He put his hand up to tell Trixie to cease speaking. "It doesn't matter, my identity. What matters is…"

"But… you're Robert Iger, president of Disney!"

Everyone gasped. "I KNEW you looked familiar!" Kim said.

Robert Iger sighed. "I was hoping we could keep my identity a secret. Ah, but I guess you guys were at the Christmas Party last year… with the pumpkins, and the basketball and the Baked Alaska…"
"There was Baked Alaska there too?!" Spud's eyes had lit up.

"Yes, there was. Anyway," Robert Iger said, "I have brought you all here for a very important purpose. There is a task that I must carry out… and it involves you all."

"Um… excuse me, Mr. Iger," said Jake, "but you cancelled our show, remember? So why are we here?"

"Why," Robert Iger laughed, "that is the exact reason you're here."

With a swipe of his hand, there appeared suddenly a swirling chasm in the center of the room. It was a centripetal mix of colors, and from within one could hear what might be considered anguished screams.

"What… is that place?" asked a bewildered Trixie.

"It's the place that all Disney characters go when their TV show gets cancelled…" Kim gasped.

"Yes, that's correct," nodded Robert Iger. "And the cast of American Dragon has been long overdue…"

"But we were only cancelled two months ago!" Spud cried. "Mr. Iger, please don't make us go into the big swirling hole thing! I can barely stand the screaming while I'm out here!"

"You need not worry about that," he said, "for you shall be screaming along with them!"

"Sounds scary, but why's that?"

"We play "It's a Small World" over and over again."

"Now THAT'S Hell…," shuddered Jake.

"Okay, okay, so you're sending the cast of American Dragon into the great cartoon Heaven… or Hell," Ron said. "Why are we here, though?"

Robert Iger grinned. "Why, you're due as well…"

"Wait!" Kim exclaimed. "You're canceling us?!"

"You already escaped us once, Ms. Possible," Robert Iger explained. "This time, you shall not be as lucky!"

"No! We won't let you!" Spud blurted out.

"Yeah, this is pure evil and you know it!" added Ron. "You think you're gonna send us into the great beyond? Well, over our dead bodies!"

"That can be arranged," snickered Robert Iger. He looked above him and waved his hand once more. "I call on my minions!"

"Catherine!"

"Zeta!"

"Jones!"

Three figures appeared in midair, and shortly after dropped gracefully to the ground. They were ninjas, as evidenced by… well, their long black uniforms and masks.

"What say you to this?" questioned Robert Iger, standing before the ninjas.

"Dude, you named them Catherine, Zeta, and Jones?" asked Spud.

"Am I not allowed to have a sense of humor?"

"Not in this case," Kim growled.

Robert Iger laughed madly. "Then perhaps we shall just cut to the chase. Minions, attack!"

The ninjas leapt into action, hurling themselves at the group of five teenagers. They scattered to opposite sides of the room, all the while gaping at the terrible predicament that they were now in.

"I dunno about you guys, but I ain't goin' down without a fight! Dragon up!!" Jake yelled, and his body was covered with a brilliant red flame, before it subsided and in his place was his alter ego, the American Dragon. Jake flexed his muscles and leapt into the air. "Man, it's gonna feel good kicking some ninja butt!"

"I'm with you, Jake!" Kim replied excitedly. She raced after the American Dragon, ready to join him in the fight.

"Uh… you guys have fun. I'm just gonna… y'know, watch," Ron said. Trixie and Spud apparently agreed, and the group backed away quickly, to a part of the warehouse where there wasn't any battling going on.

The first ninja came at Jake. "Oh yeah, baby, this is what I'm talking about!" he laughed, and wrapped his long tail around his airborne adversary. With a strong jerk of his tail, he sent the ninja hurtling towards the wall, where it impacted and slumped to the floor.

"I've got the next one!" Kim announced. She took off through the air at the next ninja. Upon viewing the approaching girl, the ninja leapt into the air as well—although a bit higher, so as to have a clearer shot at her head. Kim noticed this, and thus right before impact flipped quickly over her opponent, landing on the ground a few feet away. The ninja, having not anticipated this sudden change in momentum, fell to the ground and onto its knees. This was the chance Kim had waited for. She ran over to the spot where it sat, and raised her left elbow. "Yeah, this is so gonna hurt," she grinned, and brought her elbow down on the ninja's head. It crumpled and fell to the ground.

"One more!" yelled Jake. Kim whirled around and saw that this was true. The final ninja stood yards away, completely idle. Jake and Kim stood side by side at this point, and Kim glanced over at Jake. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I dunno… are you thinking about how you missed the Free Taco Day at Taco Bell yesterday and are really wishing you should've gone?"

Kim sighed. "Never mind. Just do what I say when it comes at us."

Apparently, the remaining ninja heard these words, and it sprang into action, running briskly towards the dragon and girl. "Alright, grab my arms," Kim instructed. Jake did this, causing Kim to cry out in pain. "Not that strongly!"

"Sorry."

"Now," Kim continued, Jake's grip having been loosened, "when I give the word, swing me at it. Ready?"

"Got ya!"

"NOW!"

Jake swung his massive arms quickly, and Kim went flying in a path that would prove to be in a direct collision course with the ninja. The ninja stopped, apparently bemused by the flying girl coming at it. Thus, Kim easily landed a devastating kick to its head. Needless to say, it was out cold.

"Alright! Great job, guys!!" exclaimed Trixie, Spud, and Ron from the sidelines.

"Haha!" Jake laughed. "What now, Mr. Iger?"

Robert Iger did not say anything immediately. He simply snickered under his breath, and then later spoke, "Nonsense. I shall use my magical healing power on my minions! They have been passed down through the years to all Disney presidents. They revived Denzel Washington's career in "Remember the Titans" and they can revive Catherine, Zeta, and Jones too!" He waved his arm. "Arise!"

Immediately the three ninjas did rise, and quickly surrounded Kim and Jake. There was nothing they could do now; if they tried to attack one, the other two would in turn attack them! They were trapped.

A triumphant, sinister laugh emitted from Robert Iger. "So you see, there is no other choice but to comply with my demands. Now," he continued, "who shall be the first to enter the cartoon afterlife?"

"This is despicable!" called Ron from the far wall. "You can't do this!"

Robert Iger appeared stunned for a moment. "Ah, I forgot about you three. Well then, I'd best conjure up some more minions, shouldn't I? I summon minions Howard and Dean!"

The two new ninjas materialized right next to Ron, Spud, and Trixie. The ninjas rapidly grabbed the three of them by their arms, and the group did not put up a fight. Now they too were caught.

Robert Iger laughed again. "Come now, there is NO one who can stop me. I run Disney, for God's sake! Now, into the big swirling colorful hole, children…"

"That's where you're wrong!"

The voice had come from behind Robert Iger. It was an unfamiliar voice, one that had not yet been heard that day—some sort of newcomer. Robert Iger whirled around. "Wait, who…?"

A voice belonged to a male, who stood there with his arms folded and his head high. He said nothing, merely grinned at Robert Iger.

"I know you!" Spud yelled excitedly. 'It's Steve Loter!!"

(insert heroic music here)

"You!" Robert Iger growled. "I thought I told you that this was none of your business!"

"Ah, but it IS my business, Mr. Iger," said Steve Loter. "You've already canceled one of my shows (even though I left mid-season)… you're not getting a hold of this one too!"

'We'll see about that! Minions, attack!"

Catherine, Zeta, Jones, Howard, and Dean sprang into action. They rushed at Steve Loter, who merely watched.

But Steve Loter was ready. He put his hands in front of his face, and formed a huge shield out of thin air. The ninjas bounced off of the shield, and fell into the portal to cartoon Hell that sat before him.

"Your turn, Mr. Iger," said Steve Loter confidently.

Robert Iger shook his head, eyes wide with terror, seemingly pleading for his life. Steve Loter reached into his pocket and pulled out a long lasso (because that's how he rolls). Waving it above his head, he slung it towards Robert Iger. It looped around his waist.

"Say goodbye," Steve Loter grinned. He suddenly pulled at the lasso, causing Robert Iger to fall forward. After he was drug across the ground for a few meters, he too fell into the hellish Hell of cartoon-ness. The portal closed behind him.

All was well.

"You the man, Steve Loter!" exclaimed Jake. He and the rest of the group came rushing toward the man in congratulations.

"Mr. Loter, I'm so surprised to see you!" Kim added. "In fact, I haven't been this surprised since JK Rowling revealed that Dumbledore was gay!"

Steve Loter nodded, accepting the praise. "It was the least I could do. Frankly, if Mr. Iger carried on with his evil scheme, I wouldn't have a job, now, would I?"

And so the six of them left together, off to who knows where. I mean, Robert Iger is dead now, after all… perhaps Disney would need a new president and CEO. Perhaps Steve Loter would be the man to fill that spot.

The moral of the story is this: Steve Loter owns. That is all you need to know.

THE END